NYU Black Renaissance Noire Fall 2013 - Page 159

Kwame turned sharply, his face knotted.
“Anyika, hold up a minute! Let’s stop
right here, right now, and see if we’re
talking about the same story. I gave
you a story about the South at the
height of a voter registration drive
spearheaded by black college students.
A story about murderous lawmen,
Ku Klux Klansmen, a backsliding,
liberal white boy, and an old black
sharecropper who was broken because
he trusted the word of an Oreo
fieldworker who didn’t know where his
head was at until it was too late. And
you say there wasn’t enough love in it?
No, wait a minute, let me get this right:
that there wasn’t enough beauty in
it!! Are you out of your frickin’ mind?
That’s not what the story is about!
It’s about how we—black people—
leave ourselves wide open whenever
we vacillate about who the enemy is
and start trying to straddle the fence.
Before you know it, we’re hanging out
with them…shooting a game of pool…
sharing a ‘brew-sky’ or whatever! And
we get wasted every fucking time!! I
can’t believe you could’ve read the story
I wrote and still come at me with a
funny farm analysis like that. What if
it had been a story about slavery?
Or better yet, a lynching? Am I
supposed to find “beauty” in that shit?
Huh? Am I supposed to love those
racist, low-life bastards too?” He said
just short of a scream.
157
Two steps past the entryway the sunlight
stopped dead. Kwame ventured forward,
steadying himself as he peered into the
darkness. Curiosity goaded him and he
stumbled along for several more steps,
clutching the wall as the cave spiraled
downward like the belly of a whale.
He held on tight to a craggy shelf as a
woebegone wail pimpled his body with
goose bumps. The sound was so present
that for a moment he felt like he was
trapped inside a conch shell. He
contemplated retreat as he gazed upward
toward a dim shaft of light near the
opening. A few feet more, he told himself,
and he was bound to reach the cave
floor. Again he was torn, but a clot of raw,
tender emotion clawed at his gut, egging
him on. Just then a spray of tide water
heaved upward from the cave’s belly
startling him. His body pitched forward
and he plummeted into the blackness,
landing on his back like a capsized crab.
“I know that what I have to say is
something you don’t want to hear,” she
went on. “My God!” she burst into
cryptic laughter. “I don’t even want to
say it! I knew that before I came today,
and that’s why I took so long at the
market. I literally had to make myself
come here.” She fell silent. “Kwame,
I didn’t like most of your story because
it…it didn’t have any beauty in it,”
she said ingenuously. I mean, t B??\?X?\???\?H?[?H[?H??H?\??[?K?[?]?\??X[\?X?[??Y????]]?\????Y8?)?]X????YH\?Y?B?]?\??X[HZ?H]??\?]?\?\?x?&\?Y?K\?x?&\?????H??YH?X]]HH]??\?\???K]8?&\?[x?'H?H?ZY\?????[??X]Y?H[?[??Y[?\?]Y??8?'[?]?\?\?K????'H?H?[???8?'\?H[???H?\??[X^?[????[?\?8?'B??H???YY[[??[?H?\?\?????'?]]??YH?[?[?H??x?%B?????X?]\?HH?[]H[?Y[??[?H[Y?X???%[?H?Y?[???Y[?Z?H]?\???^H????H[?[?\???\?X?\??X^X?x?)?X^X?H]?\??X?]\?H]?\??\???\?8?)?[??[?x?&\?H?Y?]\??\?H\?H????[?H]?H????^[?[?H?[??H???X\??X?H[X[???[?\?Y\??]?\??&]]?]\?\???[YO???&]?[?H?YO??'H?HXYY?8?']8?&\??[??[?\??\?X?\??]XZ?\?[B?[X[??]8?&\??[??[H]XZ?\[H]?K]?]?\?[H??\???'B???P???S?RT??S??H??T?B??]?\?H^?H?[?^HY?\????[??HX?H?\?[?]\?\?Y??\?[??\??\??\??H???Y\?[?\?YY?\??\?H??Y]H?]K???H[??YHB??X?[?\???\?[?H]\?Y??[??B??\?H?Y\?[??H?\?X??]??B??[???Y??[?\?^Y\??\?H?]???H??[X[??\??Y???Z[?????B??Z[?H[H???]\?Y??????[??Y?B?????X?[?\]Z\Y[??\?X???[??H?Y\?[??\??\?HH?Y???B?\??X?H[??Z\??[XY[????[?H?]?H?\???H?Z[???[YH?Y\?Y???\??\?Y??]H\?\??Y]?\??YY?[H\??\?\?X?H??\?H?]K?????B??[\??\Y\???H\?H?Z\??Y[[???0?Z???H?\?\?[K?HX[?Y?[??YKX\?[?H?\??\?Y?HH????[??Z\?]?\?\??Y\??X?K????'[?Y?8?)???^x?)?HX\?[?Hx?'H[?ZZ?B??ZY??[?\?H?[???H??[Yx?&\?[??B???[?\???[??]?K?????H???H?\??Y????X?[?X??\?H????^?[???]?H?[???8?'HYZ]]B???&]???[?][??X??]H??\???^H?]?[X]HH??K?H?X[H??&]????[?][??X??]??XZ???[?Z[???\?X?\??[??Y[Y[????]]?\????H\?H?\?????YK????[YKx?&[H??H]\?\?H?]X?[?B???&]?[???K??]H?????[??H^\?Y[??H??Y][??[?H?\?Z[???^KZ?HH?^HH?[?[?H?XY?[?\???x?%H[\?\??[??H?X?\??H????H???]]?\?\?[???)????Y][???X[?[?[H?X[H?\?B?X??]\??]H??HXZ?\?YH?Y[??H?\?[?x?&[]?H??]??Y]?\?B?[?K???H??YX??H[?K??????Q?SL?L?[??MM??K?L??L?L??SB??